Top 25 - No. 1

Top 25 - No. 1

September 06, 2011

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The top-three teams hold on to their positions in the first regular-season edition of the 2011 NAIA Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. No. 1-ranked Hastings (Neb.) leads the crop for the second straight week with all 22 first-place votes. The Broncos, who own the nation’s longest active win streak at 27-consecutive matches, notched 622 total points. Following Hastings for the second-consecutive week is No. 2 Mobile (Ala.) and No. 3 Rio Grande (Ohio).

Jumping up two spot is fourth-ranked Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and following the same trend is No. 5 Southern Poly (Ga.). The Blue Raiders earns 553 total points, while Southern Poly ends with 537. The Hornets are one of seven programs this year to sit with four victories on the year.

After its first NAIA National Championship a year ago, Hastings is off to a hot start with a 2-0 record (through Sept. 4 matches). With 27-straight wins, the Broncos are two victories away from setting the all-time NAIA win streak and surpass the 28 held by Lindsey Wilson (Ky.). On Friday, Hastings heads to No. 13 Oklahoma Baptist for one of the top matches around the Top 25 this weekend.

The Southern States Athletic Conference takes home the most schools in the Top 25 with four: Mobile, Southern Poly, No. 6 Belhaven (Miss.) and No. 15 William Carey (Miss.). Overall, 17 of the conferences, independents and unaffiliated groups are represented.

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conference/independents/unaffiliated groups. The second regular-season Coaches’ Top 25 Poll will be announced on Sept. 13.

Notes: No. 3 Rio Grande (Ohio) has been ranked in the top 10 for the last 25-straight polls, dating back to the start of the 2009 season… Rio Grande holds the most No. 1 mentions since 2000 with 35… Overall, there have been 14 different teams to claim the No. 1 spot during that span: after Rio Grande, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) is second (31) and is followed by Bethel (Tenn.) (11), Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (9), Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (5) and Concordia (Calif.) (5)… Lindsey Wilson holds the distinction of being consecutively ranked the longest among active schools – 46-straight polls, dating back to the 2007 preseason Top 25 poll… Rio Grande is next in line with 40, followed by Azusa Pacific with 33… Since 2000, two teams have rattled through the entire season ranked No. 1 – Bethel in 2009 and Rio Grande during the 2004 season.